Railway Communication Link Verification Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Railway track systems face inefficiencies in communication due to unnecessary connections with non-responsible route facilities, leading to network and device overload, as vehicles often establish connections with incorrect facilities, causing unnecessary communication and resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented where vehicles are quickly informed about the responsible route facility and its mobile number, allowing for the termination of unnecessary connections, either by the route device or upon request, ensuring communication connections are optimized by determining the correct responsible route facility based on balise device identifiers and radio cell assignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If vehicles establish communication links with trackside equipment based on radio cell assignment, then communication coverage is ensured, but unnecessary communication links are created when vehicles contact unauthorized trackside equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification by checking whether the trackside equipment that answered the vehicle's call is actually the responsible equipment for that radio cell. This preliminary check prevents unnecessary communication before it starts, by identifying mismatches between the calling vehicle's location and the answering trackside equipment's jurisdiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where trackside equipment reports vehicle calls to a central entity, and the central entity verifies whether the called trackside equipment is the correct one. This feedback loop enables the system to identify and terminate unnecessary communication links while maintaining coverage.
2Reliability
If communication links are maintained with all trackside equipment in a radio cell, then no communication interruptions occur, but network and device overload increases due to unnecessary connections
Solution Approach 1:
Before maintaining a communication link, the system performs preliminary verification to ensure the trackside equipment is the correct one for that vehicle's location. This preliminary action filters out unnecessary connections while preserving necessary ones, maintaining reliability without overload.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and removes unnecessary communication links from the network by identifying calls where the trackside equipment is not the responsible one for that radio cell. This extraction process eliminates wasteful connections while preserving necessary communication continuity.
3Loss of time
If vehicles are quickly informed of unauthorized connections and notified of responsible trackside equipment, then unnecessary communication links are terminated quickly, but additional communication overhead is introduced for verification and notification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central entity (network switching equipment or trackside equipment management system) that acts as an intermediary to verify calls and coordinate terminations. This intermediary simplifies the complexity by centralizing the verification logic and managing the notification process, rather than requiring direct complex interactions between vehicles and multiple trackside equipments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback loops where the central entity receives call information, verifies responsibility, and provides feedback to both the vehicle and the correct trackside equipment. This feedback mechanism enables quick identification and termination of unnecessary links while managing system complexity through structured information flow.
4Ease of operation
If the trackside equipment terminates the communication link itself or prompts the vehicle to terminate, then connection management is simplified, but additional signaling and coordination are required
Solution Approach 1:
The trackside equipment is empowered to autonomously determine whether it is the correct equipment for a calling vehicle and to terminate unnecessary links itself. This self-service capability simplifies operation by allowing trackside equipment to manage its own communication links without requiring constant external intervention, while the central entity provides coordination when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
When autonomous termination is not sufficient or coordination is needed, the central entity acts as an intermediary to manage link termination between vehicles and trackside equipment. This intermediary handles the signaling and coordination complexity, allowing the system to maintain ease of operation while managing the necessary communication overhead.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a trackside equipment (RBC1) using a mobile network (MNET), which is assigned to a section (SA1) of a track system, in particular a section (SA1) of a railway track system (EGA) and can communicate with vehicles (LOK) via the mobile network (MNET).According to the invention, after receiving a mobile phone call from a vehicle (LOK), it is checked which radio cell (FZ0-FZ9) of the mobile network (MNET) the call originates from, then it is checked whether the radio cell (FZ0-FZ9) is assigned to the trackside equipment (RBC1) or not, and in the case that the radio cell (FZ0-FZ9) is not assigned to the trackside equipment (RBC1), at least one other trackside equipment (RBC2/RBC3) is determined that is assigned to the radio cell (FZ0-FZ9), the mobile phone number of this at least one other trackside equipment (RBC2/RBC3) is communicated to the vehicle (LOK), and then the communication connection is terminated.